Production of containers by formation of slits and holes in strip material



3,215,107 SLITS 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 D. S. CVACHO ETAL OF CONTAINERS BY FORMATION OF AND HOLES IN STRIP MATERIAL PRODUCTION Nov. 2,

Filed July 5, 1962 INVENTORS DANIEL S. CVACHO JENS R. L. MOLLER M WQ-AIZM/QIW THEIR ATTORNEYS Nov. 2, 1965 D. s. CVACHO EI'AL 3, 0

PRODUCTION OF CONTAINERS BY FORMATION OF SLITS AND HOLES IN STRIP MATERIAL Filed July 5, 1962 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 o r M 5" g a N r g g, g I I mm W N K m I 0 q- I I I INVENTORS 8-- N DANIEL s. CVACHO (\l JENS R. L. MOLLER Q Q Iii g (:9 j MW J fMM/VWW gfi 3 :j 3 THEIR ATTORNEYS N 1965 D. s. CVACHO ETAL 3,

PRODUCTION OF CONTAINERS BY FORMATION OF SLITS AND HOLES IN STRIP MATERIAL 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed July 5, 1962 N In 2 a r g a 4' 8 2 Q LL I \I T Q INVENTORS DANIEL S. CVACHO JENS R. L. MOLLER FIG-IO THEIR ATTORNEYS United States Patent C) 3,215,107 PRODUCTION OF CONTAINERS BY FORMATION OF SLITS AND HOLES IN STRIP MATERIAL Daniel S. Cvacho, Chesterfield County, and Jens R. L. Moller, Henrico County, Va., assiguors to Reynolds Metal Company, Richmond, Va., a corporation of Delaware Filed July 5, 1962, Ser. No. 207,709 6 Claims. (Cl. 113120) According to this invention, tubular containers are produced from a continuous strip of material in a new and useful manner.

The strip material may be made of any suitable material such as any suitable aluminous metallic material.

Strip material, with substantially parallel sides, is partially subdivided by transverse slits which have ends spaced slightly from the edges of the strip. Suflicient unslit material remains adjacent the edges of the strip to maintain a continuous strip action. The strip can be processed as a continuous undivided strip until the strip is formed substantially into a continuous partially subdivided tube.

Thereafter, the partially subdivided tube is efficiently completely subdivided by severing the unslit material at the ends of the transverse slits.

The transverse slits are spaced apart along the length of the strip a distance equal to the length of the tubular containers which are being formed. Hence when the unslitted portions of the tube are severed, tubular containers are produced, ready for applying end closures thereto.

Pairs of holes may be produced along the length of the strip, and the transverse slits may extend across the strip between the holes of each pair of holes. This permits a clean and eflicient slitting action at each pair of holes in a manner to prevent tearing of the strip at the ends of the slits. The slitting action extends cleanly between the holes.

The practice of this invention permits eflicient formation of tubular containers from a parallel sided strip of material.

The strip material may be supplied from spools or rolls. The ends of the strip material from the spools or rolls may be joined in a novel manner to produce a continuous strip and a continuous operation. Any desired label patterns on the strips of the diiferent spools can be matched while being joined together. This insures the maintenance of the label pattern for the subsequent operations.

The edges of the strip material may he curled and secured together to form a continuous tube, partially severed at the slits, and secured together at the unslitted portions. This permits an eificient formation of the continuous tube which then may be completely severed at the short unslitted portions to form the desired tubular containers.

The final severing operations at the short, unslitted parts of the continuous tube are easily and efliciently performed after the partially slitted tube has been formed.

Other features of this invention are apparent from this description, the appended claimed subject matter, and/or the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1A shows diagrammatically the initial steps for practicing this invention.

FIGURES 1B, 1C, and 1D show subsequent steps for practicing this invention.

FIGURE 2 is a diagrammatic plan view of a portion of FIGURE 1A.

FIGURES 3, 4 and 5 are diagrammatic cross-sectional views of the strip and joining steps performed in the apparatus shown in FIGURE 1A.

ice

FIGURE 6 is a diagrammatic plan view of the strip for forming tubes or containers, the strip being shown in the condition as it passes the portions of FIGURE 1B immediately below FIGURE 6.

FIGURE 7 is a diagrammatic plan view of the strip of material as it passes the portions of FIGURE 1C immediately below FIGURE 7.

FIGURE 8 is a diagrammatic plan view of the strip of material and the tubes or containers formed from the said strip as performed in the steps illustrated at the right end of FIGURE lD.

FIGURE 9 is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of FIGURE 8 showing the tubes or containers before and after severance of the unslitted portions.

FIGURE 10 is a diagrammatic view of another embodiment for severing the continuous tube into separated shorter tubes or container side walls.

According to this invention strip material for producing severed tubes or containers may be fed to an end joining means 18 where the rear strip end of an exhausted spool of strip material is joined to the front strip end of a fresh, unexhausted spool of strip material.

For example, a strip of material 20 is fed alternately from a spool 22 which is about to be exhausted and from a fresh, unexhausted spool 24 to supply the new strip of material, as indicated at 20A. Subsequent spools may be conveyed for use on conveyor rollers 26 and 27. The rear end 20B, FIGURE 3, of the strip 20 from the exhausted roll 22 and the front end 20C of the new strip 20A are overlapped and clamped by the clamps 28. The overlapped ends 20B and 20C are then sheared at 29 by thecutters 30, so that the waste pieces 20E and 20D, FIG- URE 4, may be removed and discarded. The remaining ends of the strips 20 and 20A are butt welded at 30, FIG- URE 5. The butt weld 30 may take place at the Welding apparatus 32, FIGURE 1A, while held by clamps 28.

The butt weld 30 may then be advanced and may be ground and smoothly finished by the apparatus 34 which may include proper grinding or smoothing wheels, etc. The strip, which will be hereafter identified as 20, may be advanced leftwardly and arrested in its motion by the pull unit 36. This pull unit 36 may have means to ad- Vance and to stop the strip 20 while it is being clamped,

sheared, butt welded and cleaned or polished at 30-34. This advancing and arresting movement may be produced by properly driven rollers 37 and brakes 38, etc. under the control of a handle or automatic controller 39.

The strip 20 then passes over the pulleys 40 and 42 and is fed to the strip accumulator 44 where the strip material may be fed along the leftward run 46 and rightward return run 48. These runs 46 and 48 pass over the return pulley 50, FIGURE 10, which forms the left end of the strip accumulator 44.

The pulley 50 is biased leftwardly and is movable rightwardly and leftwardly by means of a motor driven con struction 52 which biases the carriage 54 leftwardly, but yieldingly moves rightwardly when the demand for strip material along return run 48 for subsequent steps or operations exceeds the supply of strip material at forward run 46 as it is supplied from the pull unit 36. The carriage 54 may be supported by a track or the like 56.

The strip accumulator supplies strip material for subsequent operations while the strip ends 20B and 20C are being joined together as shown in FIGURES 1A and 2-5.

A control button or the like 58 stops or delays the feed of strip material at the apparatus 36, and along run 46, when the control button 58 is engaged by the carriage 54. The arresting operation is temporary, and, after a suitably short period of time, it automatically permits the apparatus 36 to feed the strip 20 along run 46 just slightly in excess of the average demand along return run 48 for the subsequent steps or apparatus.

The strip material from run 48 passes over pulley 59, FIGURE 1A, and is fed through the pre-feed unit which produces a slight drag on the strip 20. This unit may have drag producing rolls 61. This drag may be controlled manually or automatically by the control handle or device 62.

The drag unit 60 feeds the strip 20 to the flattening or decurling unit 63. This unit 63 may pass the strip 20 over the rollers 64 and under the rollers 66 under the tension produced by the loop feed and pull unit 68.

The alternate flexing while passing over and under the rollers 64 and 66 of the unit 63 straightens out the curl which may have been produced in the strip material 20 while it was stored in the rolls or spools 22 and 24, etc.

The amount of flexure or overlap of the rolls 64 and 66 may be varied by the manual or automatic upward or downward movement of the adjustable support 70 which may be vertically adjusted by the adjusting handles or discs 72. This adjustment may be selected to produce the desired flattening and decurlin-g action in the strip 20.

The pull and speed of delivery of the strip 20 produced by the unit 68 may be automatically adjusted under the control of the speed control dancer roll 74 which is carried by the lever 76, which is pivoted at 78. The lever 76 may operate a reactor or control device 80 which automatically increases or decreases the speed of delivery of the unit 68 automatically to maintain the roll 74 at the average position shown, so the strip material 20 is fed at the proper speed to the subsequent units.

The strip material 20 may have parallel sides 82 and 84, as shown in FIGURE 6. The strip 20 may be passed over the strip side guide unit 86 which causes one of the sides of the strip 20, such as the side 84, to be biased sidewise against the side wall 88 of a trough 90. This sidewise bias may be produced by one or more of the strip supporting rollers 92. One or more of these rollers 92 may be slanted slightly from the usual degree position to the line of travel of the strip 20 in a manner to bias the strip 20 sidewise to move the side 84 of the strip 20, for example, against the side wall 88 of the trough 90. This laterally positions the strip 20 along the correct lateral path to insure accurate alignment for the next operations.

These operations include the accurate punching of the holes 94 and 96 with respect to the strip edges 82 and 84. This also insures the proper lateral location of the slits 98 which are to be slit transversely in the strip 20 between the pairs of holes 94-96.

The pairs of holes 94-96 also are accurately spaced longitudinally along the length of the strip 20 a distance 99 substantially equal to the length of the tubes or containers 156, 156A, etc., FIGURE 1D, which are to be formed by subsequent operations. The slits 98 are produced and located between the pairs of holes 94,- 96. The holes and slits are so located that they provide unslit end portions 100 and 102, FIGURE 6, between the holes 96 and 94 and the edges 84 and 82 of strip 20.

The pairs of holes 94 and 96 may be produced in the punch and shear unit 103 by a suitable hole-punching means 104 which receives the strip 20 from the holdback construction 106. The holdback construction 106 may produce a drag on the strip 20 by means of the drag roll construction 105, 107 which yields to the pull of the pullroll construction 108. The drag and pull of the units 106 and 108 may be controlled by the manual or automatic controllers 110 and 112 respectively. The units 106 and 108 feed the strip through the punch and shear. cutting unit 103, under accurate control both longitudinally and laterally.

The slits 98 are produced by any suitable slitting unit 116 which receives the strip 20 after it has passed the electric eye 118, and after the holes 96, 98 have been punched in unit 104.

The electric eye 118 controls proper registering means,

so the pairs of holes 94 and 96 may coincide properly with any pattern, label or the like which may have been produced on the strip 20 for each tube or container to be formed by this invention. Likewise, the electric eye 118 controls means to register the slits 98 substantially with the centers of the pairs of holes 94 and 96.

The holes 94 and 96 preferably are made as small as conveniently possible. They are made large enough to receive the slits 98 and to prevent any tearing action at the end of said slits. They are not large enough to interfere with the subsequent attachment of endcovers for the tubes to be formed.

The unslit end portions 100 and 102 are made as short as conveniently possible, but are made sufficiently long to provide sufiiciently strong joints between the partially severed strips, or tube sections.

The pull roll unit 108 feeds the strip 20 to theedge of any suitable curling or forming unit 120, FIGURE 1C, which receives the strip 20 substantially in flat condition at the first roll construction 122, as shown at the right end of FIGURES 1C and 7. The strip 20 has its edges 82- 84 gradually curved upwardly and inwardly as indicated at 124 and 126, FIGURE 7, by a series of inner roll constructions 128 and a series of outer roll constructions 130, FIGURE 1C. These roll constructions 128 and 130 increasingly overlap each other to cause the increasing upward curling action at 124 and 126, in FIGURE 7, so the edges 82 and 84 have been brought together at 132 as close as possible with the constructions 128 and 130.

The degree of overlap of the rolls 128 and 130 may be adjusted by the adjusting wheels 134, which may be manually or automatically adjusted to govern the overlap of the forming wheels 128 and 130.

After the edges 82 and 84 have been brought together as close as possible at 132, FIGURE 7, by the last pair of forming wheels 128A and 130A, near the left end of FIGURE 1C, the curled strip is then fed to the adjustable forming outer horn or outer roll unit 134 which has a cylindrical mandrel, not shown, around which the curled strip 20is fed. The mandrel is supported by a thin mandrel support 136 which passes through the groove 138, FIGURE 7. The horn unit 134 has a plurality of outer pinching rolls 140 which gradually taper the edges 82 and 84 closer together, as shown at 138, FIGURE 7, as the strip passes through the horn 134.

The mandrel support 136 causes the strip edges 82-84 to be gradually spaced closer together as they pass any suitable joining means, such as the high frequency alternating electric current induction unit 142. This induction unit 142 may have a welding head 144 so positioned that the current is concentrated by means of the adjustable gauging roll construction 146 and any other suitable forging constructions inside and outside of the tube structure to produce a longitudinal seam weld at 148, FIGURES 7 and 8, where the seam edges 82 and 84 are heated to a welding temperature.

The welded seam tube construction with the unseparated tube 149, FIGURE 8, is then forwarded to any suitable cutting unit 150, FIGURE 1D, where the uncut or unslitted portions 100 and 102, FIGURES 6, 8 and 9, are slitted at 152, FIGURES 8 and 9, to produce the separated tubes or containers 156, 157A, etc. Suitable slitting means or knives are provided in the unit 150 to perform this cutting or slitting operation.

A conveying and spacing unit 154 quickly spaces the first out or separated tube 156 away from any cutting knives or the like which may be operating in the cutting unit 150. This conveying unit 154 may have one or more belt constructions 158 and 160 which have inner runs 162 and 164, respectively, which carry the tubes 156, 156A, etc. leftwardly and deliver them to a chute or conveyor 166. Take-up rolls 167 may be provided to maintain proper tension of the conveyors 158 and 160.

The cut tubes 156, 156A, etc., if desired, may be delivered to container finishing enclosure or means 168.

In the finishing means 168 the cut tubes 156 may have bottoms applied thereto. Such containers may then receive the contents to be enclosed and may then have covers applied thereto, so that filled and closed containers are produced.

Another embodiment of a tube cutting means may receive the uncut tubes 149, FIGURE 10, as they are delivered from the roller construction 146 of FIGURES 1C and 1D, and may be conveyed by any conveyor structure, such as 182, 184 so the uncut tubes 149 are delivered to the wheel cutter 184. The uncut or unslitted portions 100 and 102, FIGURE 9, may be fed to the inside of the segments of the are 186 of the wheel construction 184. This spreads out the slitted portions 98' of the uncut tubes 149 to produce the V-shaped slit constructions 98A of FIGURE 10. The still uncut tubes 149A may be completely severed at 188 by proper cutting means and the completely cut tubes 190 may be delivered by conveying means 192 when desired. Such conveying means 192 may be in the form of one or more belt conveyors 193 with or without one or more stationary supporting means 194. This conveying means may deliver the cut tubes 190 to a place of use, such as the bottom applying, content supplying, and cover applying means 196 which may be similar to means 168 of FIGURE 1D.

It is thus to be seen that steps or operations have been provided for producing the side wall of each of a plurality of separate cylindraceous tubes or containers 156. Pairs of holes 94 and 96 have been produced closely adjacent to the parallel side edges 82 and 8 of a strip of material 20. This strip 20 may be made of any suitable aluminous material, such as either of pure aluminum or any suitable alloy thereof. The holes have been spaced apart a distance substantially the same as the length of the tubes 156. The strip has been slitted at 98 between the pairs of holes 94 and 96 to provide unslitted portions 100 and 102 between the holes and the edges 82 and 84 of the strip 20. A new and useful blank has thus been formed. The strip or blank 20 has then been curled to bring the edges 82 and 84 adjacent each other. Thereafter these edges have been united to each other as by a welding operation. Thereafter the previously unslit portions 100 and 102 have been slit between the holes 94 and 96 and the edges 82 and 84 of the strip to form a product in the form of separated tubes or containers 156 or 190.

The separated tubes or containers thus produced may then have bottoms applied thereto, contents introduced therein, and covers applied thereto as desired.

While the form of the invention now preferred has been disclosed as required by statute, other forms may be used, all coming within the scope of the claimed subject matter which follows.

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising: producing a plurality of pairs of holes along a strip of material having substantially parallel side edges, said pairs of holes being transverse to said side edges with the holes of each pair being relatively far apart from each other and being relatively closely adjacent to and spaced from respective side edges of said strip; producing a plurality of slits extending into and between said pairs of holes and providing slitted portions of said strip between said pairs of holes and unslitted portions of said strip between said holes and said side edges, said slitted portions being spaced apart along said strip distances equal to the length of separated tubes to be formed by said method; curling said strip to bring said edges adjacent each other; uniting said edges to each otherto form a relatively long partially slitted tube; and severing said unslitted portions to form said separated tubes.

2. A method according to claim 1 in which said holes have a larger dimension lengthwise of said strip of material than the dimension of said slits lengthwise of said strip of material.

3. A method according to claim 1 which includes the step of sidewise urging one side of said strip of material against a side guide before producing said pairs of holes to space said holes properly with respect to said one side of said strip.

4. Apparatus comprising: means for producing a plurality of pairs of holes along a strip of material having substantially parallel side edges, said pair of holes being transverse to said side edges with the holes of each pair being relatively far apart from each other and being relatively closely adjacent to and spaced from respective side edges of said strip; means for producing a plurality of slits extending into and between said pairs of holes and providing slitted portions of said strip between said pairs of holes and unslitted portions of said strip between said holes and said side edges, said slitted portions being spaced apart along said strip distances equal to the length of sep arated tubes to be formed by said apparatus; means for curling said strip to bring said edges adjacent each other; uniting said edges to each other to form a relatively long partially slitted tube; and means for severing said unslitted portions to form said relatively short separated tubes.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4 in which said firstnamed means produces holes having a larger dimension lengthwise of said strip of material than the dimension of said slits length wise of said material.

6. Apparatus according to claim 4 including means to urge one side of said strip of material against a side guide before acting on said strip with said first-named means to space said holes properly With respect to said one side of said strip.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,098,989 11/ 37 Yoder -'l1333 2,120,316 6/38 Stone 113123 2,127,618 8/38 Riemenchneider 113-33 2,188,916 2/40 Murch 113-120 2,662,271 12/53 Greenberg 29-482 2,710,565 6/55 Schoeder 83-236 2,729,180 1/56 Freeze 113-35 2,748,734 6/56 Kennedy 113--33 2,997,904 8/61 Gotsch et al. 15354 3,057,056 10/62 Foley et a1. 1l3l23 3,072,770 1/ 63 Goodridge 21959 FOREIGN PATENTS 927,086 4/55 Germany.

CHARLES W. LANHAM, Primary Examiner. WHITMORE A. WILTZ, Examiner. 

1. A METHOD COMPRISING: PRODUCING A PLURALITY OF PAIRS OF HOLES ALONG A STRIP OF MATERIAL HAVING SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL SIDE EDGES, SAID PAIRS OF HOLES BEING TRANSVERSE TO SAID SIDE EDGES WITH THE HOLES OF EACH PAIR BEING RELATIVELY FAR APART FROM EACH OTHER AND BEING RELATIVELY CLOSELY ADJACENT TO AND SPACED FROM RESPECTIVE SIDE EDGES OF SAID STRIP; PRODUCING A PLURALITY OF SLITS EXTENDING INTO AND BETWEEN SAID PAIRS OF HOLES AND PROVIDING SLITTED PORTIONS OF SAID STRIP BETWEEN SAID PAIRS OF HOLES AND UNSLITTED PORTIONS OF SAID STRIP BETWEEN SAID HOLES AND SAID SIDE EDGES, SAID SLITTED PORTIONS BEING SPACED APART ALONG SAID STRIP DISTANCES EQUAL TO THE LENGTH OF SEPARATED TUBES TO BE FORMED BY SAID METHOD; CURLING SAID STRIP TO BRING SAID EDGES ADJACENT EACH OTHER; UNITING SAID EDGES TO EACH OTHER TO FORM A RELATIVELY LONG PARTIALLY SLITTED TUBE; AND SEVERING SAID UNSLITTED PORTIONS TO FORM SAID SEPARATED TUBES. 